"I am absolutely appalled at this Government. It's not just my daughter; it's families of epileptics all around the country."

Charlotte Caldwell, with her son Billy, who was granted a 20-day licence to use cannabis oil

It comes after the Home Office announced that it would carry out a review into the 'medical and therapeutic' benefits of THC cannabis oil which could see an overturn of the ban.

The action was triggered following the Government's decision to grant a 20-day licence to the family of Billy Caldwell gaining him access to the oil, which contains the currently banned Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

It is prohibited in the UK but widely allowed elsewhere.

The 12-year-old was initially rushed into hospital after his drug was confiscated - but the Home Office then backtracked and approved a 20-day licence.

His mother said his seizures are reduced when he takes the oil and has called for it to be freely available.

Cannabis: What does the law say?

Cannabis is a class B drug meaning it it is illegal to possess.

Anyone found with the drug could be imprisoned for up to five years while supplying it can be punished with a 14-year jail sentence or an unlimited fine.

The penalty depends on the amount of the drug, the person's criminal history and other aggravating or mitigating factors.

Police can also issue a warning or an on-the-spot fine of £90 to someone found with cannabis.

Alternatively, officers could issue a cannabis warning which goes on a person's record but is not revealed by a standard criminal records check.

Cannabis contains different active ingredients and experts say some of them might be therapeutic for certain patients.

THC or tetrahydrocannabinol is the part that makes people feel "high", but CBD or cannabidiol is another component found in cannabis that scientists are interested in understanding more about as medical treatments.

CBD-based treatments have shown some promising results for reducing seizures in children with severe epilepsies.

Medical trials of cannabis-based medicines have largely focused on pharmacological preparations, but some parents of children with epilepsy have been buying oils containing CBD and THC.

There is currently little scientific evidence on the safety and effectiveness of these oils as a treatment for epilepsy, although they do contain the same active ingredients.

Some health food shops sell CBD oils as food supplements. These have low levels of active ingredient and are legal to buy in the UK.

It is vital that you talk to your doctor or health professional before making any changes to your epilepsy medication.

Cannabis oil: The review in full

Professor Dame Sally Davies will take forward the first part of the review, considering the evidence available for the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of cannabis-based medicines.

This will inform which cannabis-based medicines should be taken forward to part 2 of the review.

The second part of the review will be led by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) which will provide an assessment based on the balance of harms and public health needs, of what, if anything, should be rescheduled.

The review will not look into the reclassification of cannabis as a Class B drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and will not consider the legalisation of cannabis.

The penalties for unauthorised supply and possession will remain the same.

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The Policing Minister Nick Hurd has told Parliament that the government will establish an expert panel of clinicians to advise ministers on any applications from senior clinicians to prescribe cannabis-based medicines.

The Home Secretary has confirmed the panel will be in a position to start considering applications within a week.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: "Cases like Billy Caldwell’s, Alfie Dingley’s, and others like it, have shown that we need to look more closely at the use of cannabis-based medicine in healthcare in the UK.

"The position we find ourselves in currently is not satisfactory. It’s not satisfactory for the parents, it’s not satisfactory for the doctors, and it’s not satisfactory for me.

"I have now come to the conclusion that this is the right time to review the scheduling of cannabis."